Of Rocks and Leaves
by Deta Henkan
Summary: AU. Naruto is kidnapped at a young age and is raised in Iwa. What changes will occur as a result? Will Naruto learn where he originally came from?
1. Journey to Iwa

Disclaimer: I own nothing except OCs. I wanna cry…

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'Kuso... I need to get out of here...' a ninja cursed inwardly. The ninja had on dark clothing, a vest reserved for Chuunin-ranked ninjas and a headband with a slashed leaf symbol on it. Strapped on his back was a child with blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks on his face. 'It shouldn't be too long before hunter nin catch up...'

The ninja performed a handseal before a copy of him appeared and they both split off in different directions.

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A fire was lit deep inside a cave as the missing nin poked at it.

"Honestly..." the ninja grumbled. "You'd think stealing a jinchuuriki everyone hates for a little bit of money would be easier..."

_An old man with white and red robes, the Hokage or leader of the village, stood before the ninja inside a flashback._

_"I want you to look after him for a while," the Hokage said. "Given the reactions the village had, I need to make sure no harm comes to this child."_

_"Of course, Hokage-sama," the ninja responded. "But if I may ask, why not use ANBU?"_

_"They are currently assessing the damage of the village," the Hokage answered._

_Of course, the ninja had still found ANBU on watch outside the room and building shortly after trying to make an escape with the kid._

"Thank Kami the kid's asleep..." the ninja sighed as he sat back against the cavern wall to get comfortable. Unfortunately, such words always tempt fate to fix such errors.

To make matters worse, the child was much louder than expected.

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The sleep-deprived ninja moved on for days, so thankful that his skills lied in stealth even if he was mediocre in everything else. The child he could barely tolerate and his funds died as he paid strippers for a different purpose than their jobs indicated as he would rather use them for himself since the baby needed milk somehow. Cursing his luck, he continued on until he finally made it out of Fire Country. The ninja moved on to find a place to settle down in Earth Country until he could get his ransom money. After all, a jinchuuriki was a jinchuuriki. A jinchuuriki was a weapon any village would want, especially one like the Leaf that no longer had one. Thus, negotiations began once the missing nin went deeper into Earth Country.

"Freakin' kid doesn't know how to stop crying!" the ninja yelled in frustration. "Stripper said he wasn't hungry! Medic nin said he wasn't sick! His diaper's cleaner than my floors!"

The ninja glared at his dirt floors. "Not the best comparison, but I don't care!"

A figure suddenly appeared behind him and sliced his head off. The figure had a mask and a leaf symbol on him.

"ROOT member reporting to Danzo. Target one: Down. Target two is in sight," the ROOT member spoke into a microphone in his mask.

"Bring it in," came the order. "We cannot allow Leaf's weapon in the enemy's hands."

The ROOT member picked up the blonde target and left, leaving behind the beheaded body and two dead bodies of a deceased stripper and a deceased medic nin while two other ROOT members "cleaned up" the mess.

As such negotiations go...

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Things did not proceed smoothly as a house made out of dirt in flames would attract a lot of attention. The ROOT members were killed and ninjas with a rock symbol on their masks took the blonde child with them to their village.

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This prologue and the first two chapters (the two after this) are all pre-written. I figured there weren't enough fanfics with Naruto raised in Iwa. 


	2. Iwa's Academy

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs. I wanna cry…

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"Tsuchikage-sama... We may have a problem..." a ninja reported to the village's leader. 

"You think I'm blind?" said leader asked.

The Tsuchikage Monument of the ninja village was completely vandalized.

"D-rank mission: Capture Uzumaki Naruto," the Tsuchikage said.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama," the ninja saluted before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

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"You guys are just upset because you'd never be able to pull off what I did!" a hyperactive blonde kid with blue eyes and whisker marks yelled as he ran from three Genin. "I'm gonna be the next Tsuchikage!"

"Damn kid..." a Genin panted as the three stopped to catch their breath. "Are they sure this is a D-rank mission?"

"Shut up and keep after him," another Genin said.

"How can someone who acts so childish become Tsuchikage?" the third Genin wondered aloud before the three ran back after him.

Naruto chuckled as he pulled down a sheet that matched his surroundings after they ran past him.

"Naruto, what are we gonna do with you?" a voice behind him said, making Naruto jump. "Most of our D-rank missions seem to be to capture you and I know Tsuchikage-sama's discipline is never light."

"Eh-heh heh... Ohayo, Kimori-san," Naruto replied nervously.

"Time to take you to Tsuchikage-sama, then," Kimori said as he dragged off the blonde kid.

"Ano... Aren't you going to tell your Genin squad?" Naruto asked.

"Hm... Iie," Kimori decided. "I'll let them figure it out."

Kimori's Genin wouldn't find out for a long time and when they would, Kimori would make sure they made up the lost time with training. Even more for failing to catch Naruto when he used that simple sheet of his.

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The blonde kid would later show up in class looking like he had been swallowed up by the ground and spit out.

"Okay, Naruto. I hope you've learned better than to go around defacing important monuments," the Chuunin instructor said.

"You should see when I deface the Hokage Monument during the Chuunin exams..." Naruto grinned, earning a chalkboard eraser to his face.

"Baka!" the Chuunin yelled. "If you do become a ninja, your actions reflect the village! Disrespecting other villages could very well jeopardize our relations with them!"

"Then what about the whole thing with the Leaf and their Yellow Flash!" Naruto argued. "He killed how many Iwa nin?! And how much more did they take away from us after we lost that war?!"

"Naruto, you may understand someday but until then..." the Chuunin began. "Everybody, we will be reviewing Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto gulped, since that was his worst jutsu. 'Teme...'

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"Well, Kenbu-san..." the Tsuchikage said. "What would you say about our fishcake?"

"His third chance at becoming a Genin doesn't look too promising, demo..." the Chuunin instructor began. "He will surprise you if you're not careful."

"How about telling me something I don't already know?" the Tsuchikage suggested.

"He seems to have learned more about the war between Iwa and Leaf," Kenbu said. "He hasn't learned the whole truth of it, but I fear he may learn soon enough."

"You mean about it?" Iwa's leader asked.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama," Kenbu nodded.

"Making him look at all that political stuff may have been a mistake," the other sighed. "I'm not proud of what my predecessor did, but he was punished in the end."

"What should we do, Tsuchikage-sama?" the Chuunin asked.

"With this new information, I wish to put him to a test," came the reply. "After he fails his third chance."

And fail, Naruto did. His Taijutsu wasn't the best, as it didn't suit him but his stamina allowed enough leeway to pass. Genjutsu was also something he had difficulty grasping and ended up failing. He passed weapon accuracy with an average grade. He passed Henge no Jutsu with flying colors (and extra credit) and Kawarimi no Jutsu with a passing grade. However, Bunshin no jutsu proved beyond his grasp.

So, Naruto sat on his swing, watching the graduates with their families, something he lacked. He was an orphan. Nobody to cheer for him or give him a pick-me-up. His actions gained him no friends as they wished to stick by the rules. In Leaf's books, Iwa and Kumo were too harsh on their shinobi. Then again, Leaf also said nothing about its ally, Suna, and said nothing about Kiri when the Mizukage became overly-paranoid.

"Naruto-kun," Kenbu said, gaining the blonde's attention. "I have a mission for you."

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As far as I remember, the names don't have any particular meaning. I just wanted Japanese-sounding names. Anyway, what is this mission Naruto is getting when he hasn't even graduated from the Academy? And what did the previous Tsuchikage do during the last Shinobi War? 


	3. Delivery!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs. I wanna cry…

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"_Naruto, I need you to give this to Tsuchikage-sama," Kenbu said. "Do not open it and do not allow anyone to take this."_

_"What is it?" Naruto asked._

_"It's a very important scroll filled with secrets that would leave someone like you drooling. It can cripple your opponent easily if used correctly," Kenbu said. "But, you cannot open it. It is for the Tsuchikage's eyes only."_

_"Why don't you do it?" Naruto asked, suspicious._

_"Someone's been tailing me all day and I won't be able to lose them if I have to carry this around," Kenbu answered._

_"Is your wife angry at you about..." Naruto began before Kenbu slapped his hand on his mouth._

_"I told you to keep that between you and me..." Kenbu hissed quietly. "Now, hurry to Tsuchikage-sama."_

Unfortunately, Kimori decided to intercept the blonde child.

"Konnichi wa, Naruto-kun," Kimori said.

"Konnichi wa, Kimori-san," Naruto said.

"I believe you have something of mine," Kimori said.

"Gomen, but this is Tsuchi-teme's scroll," Naruto said.

"What has Tsuchikage-sama told you about respect?" Kimori sighed. "Regardless, Tsuchikage-sama's orders changed. You are to hand it over to me."

"Where's your proof?" Naruto asked.

"My proof..." Kimori said. "Right... here!"

With that, Kimori threw shuriken at Naruto, who yelped as he fell back.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" Kimori yelled, sinking into the ground as Naruto cursed while he got up. Naruto held the over-sized scroll tightly as he hopped quickly to some large stones, as the jutsu meant the Jounin would come up from the ground.

Naruto yelped in surprise when his stone went up into the air courtesy of a Mud Wall Jutsu underneath him. Naruto jumped from his stone onto a tree branch and looked down.

"Boo..." a voice behind Naruto said, making his blood run cold.

The blonde yelped as he fell out of the tree and his head met the ground.

"Hmph... That was easy," Kimori said as he jumped down and slowly walked to the scroll near Naruto's still form.

Naruto suddenly leapt at the Jounin, a slicing motion as he drew his kunai. Kimori easily read the move and moved the middle part of his body back before grabbing Naruto's face and slammed Naruto's head down, eliciting a cry of pain as the back of Naruto's head harshly met ground followed by the rest of his body.

"Ready to give up?" Kimori asked as he stood up.

Naruto didn't move.

Kimori was almost to the scroll when he heard Naruto roll over. He turned to see the blonde spring at him, teeth ready to clamp on his leg. However, a boot smashed into Naruto's chin, making him flip over as he flew back.

"Do you even know what is in this scroll, gaki?" Kimori asked.

"All I know is that it's for Tsuchi-teme..." Naruto said, spitting blood from his mouth.

"But aren't you in the least bit curious?" Kimori asked. "One scroll where a potential Jounin-level missing nin is risking everything to steal this one scroll that could contain anything. Secrets, information, jutsus... Think about it."

"Of course I'm curious, damn it!" Naruto yelled. "But I'm going to be Tsuchikage someday, so whatever's in that scroll can wait!"

"Unless Tsuchikage-sama destroys it," Kimori said, making Naruto freeze. "As our leader, he has the option to do whatever he wants with this scroll. If this is a jutsu... He could learn it and then destroy this scroll, making him the only one who could ever know the jutsu."

_"It's a very important scroll that would leave someone like you drooling,"_ Naruto remembered his sensei saying.

"By now, you should realize you can't beat me," Kimori said. "How about you join me? It'd be easier for me to get out of the village with you in the shape you are in and you can look at the scroll."

Kimori held out his hand that was not holding the scroll. Slowly, Naruto walked over to him. Naruto slowly reached out, looking at his hand.

_"It can cripple your opponent if used correctly,"_ Naruto remembered.

Naruto grabbed Kimori's wrist and pulled him closer as he swung his fist towards the side of the Jounin's head. When fist met head, the Jounin poofed in smoke and revealed a Kawarimi with the scroll. Grabbing the top part sticking out of the middle that the paper of the scroll was wrapped around, Naruto yanked down, the other side smashed into the Jounin's crotch. The Jounin then turned into mud.

"That's not very nice, Naruto-kun," came a voice behind Naruto, making blue eyes widen. A foot then met Naruto's back as the blonde was kicked forward. The Academy Student then slowly got back up as Kimori make handseals.

'I've only got one chance...' Naruto thought as he watched Kimori.

"Henge!" Naruto yelled, turning into a naked teenage female with clouds hiding the important details. He blew a kiss at Kimori, who gawked with a large nosebleed. "Come now, Kimori-san... Weren't you gonna punish me like the bad girl I am?"

That did it as Kimori flew back from the forceful torrent that came from his nose. Kimori's leg then twitched as Naruto changed back in a puff of smoke.

"Now to get back to Tsuchikage-teme," Naruto said as he grabbed the scroll.

After giving a verbal mission report, as Naruto had learned to do in the Academy, the blonde waited for the village leader's reaction.

"Ano... Tsuchikage-sama?" Naruto asked. "What are you going to do about Kimori-san and his squad?"

"What happens to traitors and squads who find themselves without a sensei?" came the reply, making Naruto wince from how stupid his question sounded. Most traitors were sentenced to death and squads were assigned new senseis.

"Oh..." was all Naruto could say.

"I must say, congratulations on your mission," the Tsuchikage said. "Not even a Genin and you already completed one bumped up to B-rank."

"How did you know I didn't pass?" Naruto asked.

"The list Kimori's squad brought in," came the answer. "Apparently, Kenbu-san's wife is upset about something and he wasn't able to deliver it himself."

"Oh..." was all the blonde could say again.

"You're in for something very special, though," the Tsuchikage said. "I'm going to show you what is inside this scroll."

"Really?!" Naruto yelled excitedly. "Maybe you're not such a bad guy after all!"

The Tsuchikage unravelled it and in giant characters...

"You pass!" the Tsuchikage said without even having to read it.

Kenbu and Kimori appeared in a puff of smoke. "Congratulations!"

When they got a good look at Naruto, he seemed to be frozen in stone.

"Surprising ninja..." Kimori said. "I was expecting him to cheer excitedly before asking for free ramen..."

"I'm just gonna tie his headband on..." Kenbu said before doing so.

"How long do you think he will be like this?" the Tsuchikage asked, earning shrugs as an answer.

It can cripple an opponent if used correctly, indeed...

* * *

Meh... Not the best, but I think its good enough. You thought Kimori was a traitor, huh? I have a basic description for a few more OCs, but no names. I'm also gonna have to find time to research that clan that uses bees. Either way, some pretty interesting characters are gonna show up. Who will these characters be and will they help or hinder Naruto on his path to becoming Tsuchikage? 


	4. Naruto's Classmates

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs. I wanna cry…

Oh, also... I'm not trying to force strange settings down people's throats. I didn't say it right out earlier, but Iwagakure _does not know _that Naruto is a jinchuuriki. Iwa nins merely took him to their village because they did not want to leave a child behind after they had killed those ROOT shinobi from Leaf. They know nothing about Kyuubi other than what the Leaf Village claimed, but that doesn't mean things will stay that way, either.

* * *

Naruto awoke sleepily as he prepared himself for the big day. The day he would finally be acknowledged as a Genin and have his own kick-ass Jounin instructor that would teach him all kinds of powerful jutsus that would help him take Tsuchi-teme's job. 

Naruto grinned as he gulped down his milk, finished his special ramen cup to celebrate the beginning of this new, wondrous day of his now being a Genin, and ran out of the room. Let's zoom in on the milk's expiration date for a second.

New, wondrous day, indeed...

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A girl with fiery red hair and piercing orange eyes glared at the headband in her hands.

"Baka," the girl told herself. "What are you trying to accomplish? Why are you protecting a village you don't even like?"

Silence was the only answer before the girl tied on the headband.

"The first step to being a good ninja," the girl told herself. "The first step to becoming a strong kunoichi. The first step to becoming a missing nin who serves only herself."

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"Ho, yeah..." a guy with black hair and dark brown eyes grinned. "The chicks will be diggin' ya today..."

"Hentai-niisan! Come on!" a girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail that ended at the small of her back and dark brown eyes. "We're gonna be late..."

"Don't call me Hentai-niisan!" the guy yelled. "Just hold on while I dye my hair white. I don't want people thinking I'm related to you!"

"I wouldn't want people to make that mistake, either..." the girl muttered. "Why did I even help him pass his test?"

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A guy with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked toward the Academy beside a girl with light brown hair wearing dark sunglasses.

"Why do you wear glasses like that?" the guy asked. "It's like you don't want people to see your eyes..."

"Just back off," the girl retorted harshly before hurrying off.

"Wonder what her problem is..." the guy spoke up after she disappeared into the building.

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The doors suddenly burst open, gathering everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone! I, Uzumaki Naruto, am officially a Genin of Iwagakure and I'm gonna beat every single one of you and become the Tsuchikage!"

The other Genins just groaned before turning their attention to the front of the class. "Hey! I'm talking here!" the blond shinobi yelled.

"Shut up, Naruto," a guy with white hair on top of black and brown eyes grumbled.

"Huh... I haven't pranked you lately..." Naruto said as he observed the upset boy.

"The baka screwed up using hair dye," a kunoichi with black hair responded.

"Shut up, Mesu!" the guy whirled on her.

"I can't help it if you're a baka," she huffed. She then smashed her fist on his head. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!"

Naruto slowly inched away from the arguing siblings, not wanting to be blamed for their fight.

"I thought you failed…" a guy with dark brown hair spoke once the blond was close to him, gaining his attention. "Mind telling me how you got that?" He pointed to Naruto's proudly-worn forehead protector.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto grinned, readjusting his favorite prize.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if people found out you were the reason for the gas bomb that turned everything in the class pink…" the brunette replied casually.

"Wah?!" Naruto yelped in surprise. "How did you…?! But only…! Kenbu-sensei…" Naruto wept for a little while as the brunette stared at the blond ninja with a puzzled look.

'Is he having a breakdown?' the brunette wondered.

"Come on, Horoshi... Be a pal," Naruto pleaded.

"Then tell me how you got it," Horoshi replied.

"That's blackmail!" Naruto yelled.

"And that's any different from what you've done… how?" the brunette retorted.

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'Fools… All of them,' the girl with red hair thought to herself as she observed everyone from the back of the room. Her eyes narrowed. 'They have no idea what it is they're here for… No idea what they're supporting.

'They don't know the truth. None of them do. Knowing is not the same as thinking you know. Their ignorance… Their blatant disregard for what it is they must do leave them unprepared for what is to come. If they can't stand up to this challenge, they will die. Die as I would if I don't receive the training needed to go out on my own and worry only about myself.'

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The girl with light brown hair stood suddenly before slamming her fists down on the table, ending the squabble of the two bakas in front of her. "Eggshell head… Animal girl… I suggest you take your baby fight somewhere else before I take care of both of you myself…"

"Animal girl?!" Mesu yelled, full of indignation.

"Hey, Shades…" the perverted boy leered at the girl. "What do you say we get some training done later? I know that Iwa has to have some sort of seduction class you beautiful kunoichi's…"

The boy didn't get to finish as the girl shifted her weight on her arms while lifting her legs up and swung them over the desk to hit the boy across the face. As promising shinobi of Iwagakure, all were required to do heavy physical exercises to gather enough physical strength and stamina should the mind tire itself from the use of too much charka so one would be able to hold out long enough in a taijutsu fight to win or escape.

An audible noise sounded throughout the room as the girl's legs smashed into the hentai's jaw, gathering every ninja's attention. Unfortunately, the womanizer was flung towards a certain blond's direction right when he had turned enough so as they met lip-to-lip. Shivers and squeals were released in that frozen moment of time before time sped back up to a normal rate for the two to smash into the wall behind them.

"All right, Kuchiku! You're dead!" Naruto yelled as he leapt up to his feet.

"I'm dead?! You're dead for kissing me, teme!" Kuchiku shot back. Apparently, his jaw had one of those unexplainable quick recoveries. "Oh, woe is me for having my beautiful lips meet a ragamuffin like you!"

"I'll show you where that muffin's going!" Naruto yelled, having no idea what a ragamuffin was.

"Kuchiku! Stop trying to act sophisticated!" Mesu yelled, making the older sibling cringe.

"Hai, hai…" Kuchiku sighed before glaring at Naruto. "I'll deal with you later…"

"Oh, yeah?!" Naruto shot back. "We'll see who gets who!"

'All of them… Fools…' the redhead confirmed.

"Everybody sit down!" Kenbu announced as he walked in. A group of children walked in as he ordered this. "Due to a shortage of students because of our treaty with the Leaf, our medic Genin are here for team assignment as well. Once everyone takes their seat, I will announce the teams."

* * *

I wish to clear some things up about the names. The only ones I want to have meaning are Mesu and Kuchiku. Mesu is merely a nickname. I found it when randomly flipping through my Japanese-English dictionary and wanted to use it. Same with Kuchiku, although I think I'll keep that as his real name. I'll give the definition later, though "Shades" gave a pretty good description (only for Mesu). There are other classmates, but I didn't feel like making so many OCs straight away. 

As for the medic nins, I thought I'd try something I haven't seen yet. I remember how Tsunade wanted to start the program, though I forgot what reason it couldn't be enacted. So, what better way to annoy the Leaf Village than to steal this program? Besides, Konoha and Iwa still have a treaty, which I have yet to work out, that limits their shinobi force since Konoha beat Iwa in the last Shinobi War. Not all teams will have a medic nin.

Anyway, I bet you're dying to know the teams. I know I am because I still haven't worked them out, though I have a basic idea of what I want. Oh, and I haven't forgotten about the milk.


End file.
